“In 2017, we Brits drank over 100 million bottles of Prosecco but two years of declining sales have led industry commentators to speculate that the bubble has… well, that our tastes have started to change.”
Read the full article at Spectator Life
Read More“In 1890, New Yorker and composer Rudolph Aronson built a beautiful garden on the roof of the Casino Theatre. He hoped to emulate the urban gardens he’d fallen for while travelling in Europe and provide open air spaces for socialising and performance. Being that prohibition was still decades away it was roughly no minutes before patrons decided the whole thing would be better with cocktails and the rooftop bar was born.”
Read the full article at Spectator Life
Read More“Long before we pick up the tongs and crack open the first of seventeen-or-so stubby beers we have to ask the big question; charcoal or gas? The debate over which fuel is best can take on almost tribal dimensions, fraught with foodie orthodoxy. In truth, both camps have their good points and choosing between them is mostly about deciding what barbecuing means to you.”
Read the full article at The Spectator
Read More‘Britain drank over £2.6 billion worth of gin in 2019 and while official figures don’t tell us how much of that was your dad it was probably a fair whack. It wouldn’t be Father’s Day without a bottle of gin for the old man so here’s six of the best to choose from.’
Read more at Spectator Life
Read More“The orchard at Highgrove is home to some of the world’s rarest apple varieties. The collection, which is located on the grounds of the private residence of the Prince of Wales, forms part of an organic farm run by David Wilson, a specialist in the preservation of heirloom crops.”
Read the rest at Club Oenologique
Read More“Not just a return to form for Guy Richie but one of the best whisky drinking films in years. The framing device for the action sees Hugh Grant’s slimy hack sneaking into criminal enforcer Charlie Hunnam’s house to engage in a bit of light blackmail in the form of narration. In doing so, Grant pilfers a bottle of whisky from Hunnam’s drinks cabinet – a 40-year-old Glenfarclasdistilled in 1976, to be precise. If you happen to have a bottle of that lying around then, well, have fun with that. To drink along with the Gentlemen the rest of us can make do with the benchmark Glenfarclas 15yo; an excellent dram in its own right.”
Read the whole article at Spectator Life
Read MoreIt might seem frivolous to break out the shaker in the current circumstances but we shouldn’t underestimate the morale boost that comes with a well-timed cocktail. This is why people all over the world are hosting virtual happy hours with friends and family to prove that lockdown doesn’t have to mean isolation.
Read More“Talk to people outside Ireland about Irish whiskey and they’ll probably tell you it’s all about light, easy, triple distilled spirits. Prop up the bar at Dingle on Dublin’s Nassau street for a few hours and you’ll learn just how broad and varied Irish whiskey is. The sheer number of styles on offer speaks to the richness of Irish distilling culture that’s so often overlooked.”
Read more at Spectator Life
Read More“James Bond’s most impressive superpower is not his prowess as a spy or his skills of seduction, it’s his ability to always get exactly what he wants at the bar. In the 1954 novel Live and Let Die, while on a train to meet his CIA opposite number Felix Leiter, he orders a round of Old Fashioneds. Not only does the buffet car make them for him, but they even have his preferred brand of Bourbon, Old Grandad. You try pulling that sort of thing on the LNER from Kings Cross to Edinburgh Waverly. ‘Sorry Solitaire, they wouldn’t do us a cocktail but I’ve got a tin of strong lager and a cheese and pickle sandwich on the meal deal.”
Read more at Spectator Life
Read More“We should probably get steak out of the way first. You’ve had steak before, you probably have a good idea of how you like it, and this is the sort of city that ought to have plenty of good places to eat it.”
Read more at Spectator Life
Read More“Christmas Eve Gin reigned supreme once more this year and come Christmas many of us will be reaching for the…”
Read More“Gin sales in the UK are expected to pass 100 million bottles by mid-2020 as the nation remains mad on juniper and citrus. The gin shelf has become so crowded that it can be difficult to spot the real gems among the bandwagoners and the marketing fluff. But even in this brave new world with hundreds of brands to choose from there are quality producers still innovating, refining, and rethinking this centuries old spirit.”
Read more at Spectator Life
Read MoreLondon has always loved seafood. Step down onto the foreshore of the Thames by Borough Market and you will see ancient oyster shells among the pebbles and the fragments of clay pipe. Londoners have been throwing them into the river since the market was established in the 12th century.
Read more at Spectator Life
Read More‘The Great British night out has changed. Londoners thirsty for novelty are looking to a new wave of venues that offer competition with their cocktails. Think beyond the local pub with its pre-smoking-ban dartboard and decimated Scrabble. These bars with games are there to get our adrenaline flowing and even tug on our nostalgic heartstrings. They’re also perfect for getting the conversation flowing between you and Susan from HR on your office outing and airing friendly rivalries in what starts out as a healthy way…’
Read more at Spectator Life
Read More‘If you’re wondering what a hotel in W1 is doing having an ‘orangery’ that isn’t the half of it; Ham Yard also boasts a cinema, that nice courtyard, a bowling alley, and (probably) a bit of moorland out the back where you can do some grouse shooting. So any non-rugby fans press-ganged into attendance can always sneak off and find other entertainment if they get bored…’
Read more at Spectator Life
Read More“Scotch may be defined by maturity – but that doesn’t mean that the whisky industry couldn’t benefit from some fresh thinking and a little young spirit.”
Read more at Scotchwhisky.com
Read More“A new wave of bars, distilleries, brands, and drinkers are cementing this as the botanical spirit capital of the world. Here are the London spots every gin lover should visit.
Read more at Spectator Life
Read MoreMy contribution to this article by the wonderful Zoe Dare Hall, in which I give my tips on how to safely store and display your whisky collection.
“It’s far less complex than managing a wine cellar. Whisky doesn’t age in the same way in the bottle so doesn’t require the same balance of temperature and humidity for long-term storage,”
Read more at The Telegraph
Read MoreMy low-down of the best new openings for outdoor eating in London 2019.
“Anyone living in SW4 has chef Robin Gill to thank for enlivening the restaurant scene in Clapham with his restaurants the Dairy, Counter Culture, and Sorella. His latest venture, at Embassy Gardens in Nine Elms, is a venue with outdoor seating from which to take in the sun and, eventually, a view of the clear-walled sky pool suspended 10 storeys above.”
Read more at Spectator Life
Read More“A well-chosen match of refreshment and entertainment at home can help immerse you in the action and make a movie night or streaming marathon truly memorable. Think sipping rye whiskey with Don Draper, or dropping sake bombs to Kill Bill (part one, of course. Part two would call for Margaritas). Here are five pairings to enliven your Netflix nights…”
Read more at Spectator Life
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